Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Entrance & Stuff

Yesterday MIL and I sweated it out while putting up new lights on our entrance. Remember this is what the house came with:

And these are the new lights:

Sooo much better!

You'll also notice I took the storm door off. While MIL was connecting some wires, I got a little trigger happy with the drill. But I think it looks so much better, don't you? And we didn't use the storm door.

I'm also getting an itch to paint the front door yellow....

[ real simple ]

What do you think? I worry what it'd look like on a dreary winter day...

Also, I saw these plants at a local outdoor shopping mall yesterday. Does anyone know what they are? I would love to have them by our entrance:

With plants this bright, I probably wouldn't need a yellow door....... (thinking out loud here).

Those all look like varieties of coleus, which is SUPER easy to grow. You can get colors ranging from deep eggplant (almost black) to chartreuse, some solid and some variegated. I don't garden in the south, but I'm pretty sure they're impossible to screw up anywhere.

The new lights look great! I love the black and white look of the home's exterior (totally biased here). I have to say that I love having a black door because it gives you absolute freedom to use any color when selecting plants for landscaping, urns/pots, etc. Don't get me wrong, I ADORE color on front doors, but I love gardening too much to have to limit myself to using certain flowers every year. Just a thought. Also, I'm guessing the plants you liked were Celosia. Not 100% though.

I don't think my last comment posted...The plants are Coleus and they come in a ton of different colors. I planted them for the first time this year and they are super easy to care for (you really don't have to do anything).

Bryn, The front entrance looks great! I want to take our storm door off too but we do use it. The LR would be a dungeon without it! Finding the right yellow can be tricky. I had a client that painted her front door yellow. After priming and TWELVE coats of paint the painter gave up. Yellow is such a translucent color that it's hard to get coverage sometimes. I'm sure it will look great with whatever you do.

Bryn, the new lights look great! Personally, I would keep the door black. Those plants look to me like Celosia. My dad planted those for me last year and they grew beautifully without much maintenance!

Love the new lights. Our house didn't come with a storm door and I loved the look, but our house didn't have any kind of overhang to keep the door area dry and the water got into the casing and the bottom of the door and both swelled and there is some serious buckling going on , so we gave in and got a storm door, but one that is pretty simple with a huge open glass front and as little casing possible. Just a little thought.

And they are Coleus, they are an annual, but they come in so many different colors and leaf shapes and add great texture and color to a garden. We plant a ton every year. Just be careful, little critters love to munch on the leaves, at least in our area.

I've been thinking of a new paint workup for our home and yellow is a major player. And for what it's worth, I think a yellow door would look inspiring on a dreary winter day. Those bright green coleus are great too!

The red flowers look like celosia. They come in different bright colors. I planted some this year & they grow very quickly. I planted tiny celosia's early in the summer & now they are super high & they mulitplied! They are full sun flowers.

I love the new lights! I kind of like the black door too. It looks really crisp with your black shutters. Although have you ever thought of red? We have a greyish-white house and painted our front door red, and I loved the result. I can imagine red would look great with your white house and black shutters. But whatever you choose, I am sure it will look beautiful - it looks like your house has great curb appeal, too!

Love the new lights, so pretty! The door looks great, too, without the storm door! I like it in black, but man, that's a really nice yellow! I think it would look awesome! As for the plants- I have no clue :D

The plant looks like Coleus... I have some in an urn in the shady corner by my front door and it is the ONLY plant so far that I've been able to keep alive there. It does so well in shade. You just have to give it water regularly and I would suggest pruning it back at the tips every once in a while though, I've had mine since May and it has gotten huge!

I think a yellow door would be awesome! I think it would actually be like a ray of sunshine on a dreary day and really wake up the entrance.

It looks great! I don't always comment, but I'm always so excited to see an update from you in my GR. I love how real you are and how you don't always have everything perfectly staged, etc. It's refreshing. The lights look sooo much better, as does the absent storm door! And btw, I think Char's teeth give her character. :)

The new light fixtures are gorgeous! And taking the storm door off helps in a huge way. I'm sure yellow would be fine, but I was just admiring how pretty the black was! The yellow in your example may be a tad washed out for stormy days. I'd think a canary yellow would stay cheerful.

The lights are fab! But oh my goodness, your dog Charlotte is the cutest! She looks SO similar to my darling Lexi who passed away in December. We were never able to figure out what breed she was though (the shelter claimed she was a poodle, shih tzu mix, but there is no way). What breed is Charlotte?

BrynThat smoochie muffin is WAY cute even with her bite! That is what makes her special.....Love the new lights. One more question, you pictures are always so good, what kind of camera do you use????Sherry

The plants are definitely not Coleus, they are a variety of Celosia, also known as Cockscomb. I have both Coleus and Celosias outside my front door and they provide a riot of color. Celosia's blooms are long-lasting, an added plus.

Save your screen door and put it back on when the weather turns wet and cold. Your heating bill will thank you for it, and you also will not have to repaint your front door as often. When I lived in NY, we used Halloween as our date to put the door back on, and Easter as the date to take it off.

Yep the burgundy plants are for sure celosia, not coleus. I have used both in different varieties and different hues, and that is what they are. Your home looks lovely. A yellow door might look fantastic in the spring and summer months, but I don't think it would look great in the fall, or especially in the winter with the evergreen wreaths/swags etc. I have a white colonial with midnight shutters and painted the door white. I use burgundy and lime green variations in my window boxes and urns, and evergreens in the winter...it's beautiful. Just a thought :)

The red flowers look like celosia. They come in different bright colors. I planted some this year & they grow very quickly. I planted tiny celosia's early in the summer & now they are super high & they mulitplied! They are full sun flowers.

Bryn, the new lights look great! Personally, I would keep the door black. Those plants look to me like Celosia. My dad planted those for me last year and they grew beautifully without much maintenance!